


Everyone was fine until they weren't.

by EmmZz



Series: cephalopods are gay [4]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: 3 and 8 are roommates, 3 is kinda emo for a bit, Angst with a Happy Ending, Developing Relationship, Domestic, F/F, Light Angst, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, but more towards the end, ill add more as i go - Freeform, pearlina isnt really the focus but its present, same with m4rie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2019-06-10 10:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15289767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmmZz/pseuds/EmmZz
Summary: Agent 8 has figured out enough about love to decide she was in love with 3. Meanwhile, Agent 3 has worked up enough resolve to let go of her attraction to 8. When 8 finally decides to confront 3 about love, she's met with a response she doesn't quite understand while 3 suddenly has her world shaken to the core. Neither was quite ready for the confrontation, but nor are they ready for what comes next.





	1. now im definitely thinking this wasnt a great idea

**Author's Note:**

> howdy luvs!  
> sorry for the wait! i wanted to have at least 4 chapters done before i started posting. i plan to post a new one every other day or two, so stay tuned for that.  
> also comments are v appreciated! this is my first attempt at a multi chapter fic so tell me how its going so far  
> enjoy!

 

 

> "3...?"
> 
> "No.”

     “What?”

     "No. No, I'm sorry. You don't." 3 couldn't look 8 in the eye. She couldn't even pick her head up to face her. How could she? She inhaled heavily.  _This... this is just a test, a sign,_  3 thought. _She doesn't know what she's talking about and I'm not going to take advantage of that. I just need to... let it go._

"Yes, I do! Or I have an idea, at least. I'm still getting down the specifics of it, but I'm almost certain I love you."  3 nearly grimaced in response. The light smile on her face bit her inside. The words "almost certain" stung even more.

     "What... makes you say that?" 3 let out in an almost annoyed tone, clenching her fists. 

     "Well, I always enjoy your company the most. And I care about you a lot. And I want to spend a lot of time with you, too! I wouldn't mind living with you like this for the rest of my life. You're the closest person to me." 8 tried to remember what the others said earlier. "Oh! And I-"

     "Please..." 8 looked at 3 to find her staring back with a pained expression. She could see the faintest signs of forming tears in 3's eyes and hear her voice start to shake.

     "3? Are you okay?"

     "Please stop."

     3 inhaled. She didn't want to have any false hope. She didn't want to mislead 8. Most of all, she didn't want to hear any more of this.  _I have to stop this, now._

     "What do you mean?" Small tones of panic formed in 8's voice.

     "Please stop this. You don't... You don't know what you're saying. You don't love me. You only spend so much time with me because we live together, because I'm your most available friend, because you _have_ to."

     "I-"

     "And it's only been a few days. Who's to say you won't get tired of me? That you won't find me annoying or want to leave?"

     "3, I-"

     "Oh, and 'the closest person to you'? If you spend enough time with other people, you'd find that change quickly. You want to say you love me, but you can't say anything more than that you 'think' so."

     8 was silent in response. 3 looked to her, who was wearing a half-scared, half-worried look as she stared back at 3. 8 looked to 3, who was glaring with hurt in her eyes. 3 stood for a second, before looking down and sighing. She went off to her room, opening her wardrobes and picking up a few weapons and changing into gear. 

_I need to cool down,_ she thought to herself. She turned to look at 8 through her door, seeing the octoling still motionless.  _I shouldn't say any more to 8. I've said enough. I just have to... I just have to give it time._

3 walked out of her room and headed towards the door. She called out to 8 once more before leaving.

     "8."

     "...Yes?" She wouldn't look up to face 3.

     "I'm going out turfing for a bit. Don't... think about anything I said too much. Just think about it some more the next time you're going to tell someone something like that. Only say it when you're certain, okay? I'll... see you later."

     She left without giving 8 a chance to respond. She went off to whichever turfing stages were currently open, not caring which. She went through some of her heavier weapons, deciding to bring the Dynamo Roller to physically vent out her emotions. Meanwhile, 8 remained standing for some time. As 3 closed the door while leaving, she didn't hear her roommate say something quietly.

     "...And I want to make you happy..."

 


	2. was i wrong then?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3 goes off to distract herself while 8 tries to make sense of what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also just to clarify again:  
> my agent 3's name is Morgan  
> and her nickname while turfing is King  
> agent 8 and 4 still is unnamed  
> and that should be all yall need

     8 was worried about 3 as she was talking to her. She was worried about her as she left. She was worried about her for hours after. Yet none of that even came close to how worried she was when 3 didn't come home that night.

     For the 10 minutes after 3 left, 8 sat in the apartment reflecting, second-guessing every conclusion she thought she'd come to.  _Was I wrong then?_  She thought to herself as she sat and buried her head in her arms. Do _I not love her?_ She looked at the door and sunk on the couch.  _I thought I knew what it means, but I guess I..._

     For the next hour, 8 tried to do what 3 said. She tried to carry on, as usual, cleaning around the apartment and cooking food, trying not to worry about what 3 had told her. She went out to do some shopping, buying some groceries as well as anything else she thought would be useful around the apartment. By the time she got home, she found that she was carrying on calmly, that it was working. Until it wasn't.

     For the next 2 hours, she sat wondering about when 3 would get home. She wondered about what she should say, and whether or not she even should say anything about it. After a bit, she texted 3 to ask when she'd get back. A quick text tone from the kitchen table signaled to 8 that she wouldn't be getting a reply. 

     For the next hour, 8 cooked some dinner for herself and for 3, wondering in the back of her mind if she really hurt 3 in some way. After it was done, she stopped eating halfway, finding her appetite lost and replaced with concern. 

     For the rest of the night, she never even entered her room. She walked back and forth in the apartment, checking the window every so often to see if 3 was walking back. A few hours into the night, she settled down, sitting in front of the apartment door. All her worry was boiled down into a single question.

    "Where... is she...?"

     As the sun rose the next morning, 8 sat up. She needed to talk to someone about this situation with 3. She left a plastic-wrapped meal and a note on the table next to 3's phone, reading " _Text me when you get home. I'll be out."_ She walked out into the Square, texting Marina and Pearl to ask if it was alright for her to head over. With the quick response of a "yea sure yo, we free!", she set out toward the two's apartment.

     When she arrived, she was met with a smile a bit too overbearing for her current mood, while Marina opened the door to a surprisingly gloomy agent 8.

     "8? What's wrong?"

     "I need to ask you guys about some things. Is that okay?"

     "Of course! Come in and sit down."

     8 once again found herself sitting in Marina and Pearl's apartment, albeit with fewer people. She closed her eyes and took a second to settle in before starting. 

     "I know that I've asked similar things," she began, earning the other two's clear attention. "But I want to ask again to be certain. How do you know if you love someone?"

    Marina and Pearl paused for a moment before the former went further into the matter. "I can't think of any concise answers past what we've already told you. What is this about, 8?"

     "I think I love Agent 3."

     The two rose in their chairs from the sudden confession. Pearl winked to Marina, mouthing "called it." Marina politely shushed her partner, lightly gesturing for 8 to continue.

     "After I talked with everyone yesterday about what love was, I concluded that there was a strong chance that I love her, at least in some way. I went home to tell her that but..." She bit her lip and shook her head before continuing. "When I was in the middle of telling her she asked me to stop. She told me I didn't, that I didn't know what I was talking about. She told me to be sure next time, but I don't even know what she means by that. Then, she left and she hasn't been home since and I'm worried that I made her upset or offended her or-"

     "8, hey 8 slow down!"

     The young octoling stopped, realizing she'd been speaking rather quickly. She caught her breath before looking toward the two idols.

     "What did you say to her when you told her that you think you love her?" Marina asked, trying to maintain as calm a tone as she could.

     "Just the kind of things you all told me, about wanting to spend time with her and enjoying being with her." 8 was starting to shake.

     "And how did she react? Was she visibly upset?"

     "She..." 8 gulped at the memory. "She tried to seem normal, but she looked like I'd just... like I'd insulted her. Like this was something she just didn't want to talk about." She was clearly shaking now.

     "Hey 8? Take a break if you need to." Pearl asked, now concerned for 8.

     8 shook her head before continuing. "Then, she said she'd be going off to turf, but that was almost half a day ago and she hasn't been back since!"

     "You have no idea where she is?" Pearl said, sitting up in her seat. 8's silence was as good an answer as any. "You're sure she didn't at least stop by while you slept or anything?"

     8 turned to face the two with a dead expression. "I waited for her all of last night."

     There was a bit of silence in the room for a moment after 8 said that, broken only by Marina trying to put 8 at ease. "If you want my two cents, it almost sounds like she doesn't want you to love her. I wouldn't know why, though."

     8 looked up to Marina with a timid expression.

     "Oh, but regardless, I'm sure the problem about love is something you can talk through yourself with 3. Trust me, it's likely best that you do. For now, we should just focus on finding her."

     "I..." 8 seemed to relax a bit. "I left a note at home in case she came back while I was gone. I told her to text me if she did, but it's possible she chose not to."

     Pearl looked to Marina. "Babe, we haven't got anything left to do today, right?"

     "No, we're free for the rest of the week, actually." She nodded to Pearl, understanding what her partner was implying. "8, shall we go check your apartment?"

     All they received in response was a slight nod.

     The three arrived at the apartment building within 15 minutes, 8 anxiously checking her phone every step of the way. As 8 walked up to her door, she wondered what she should say to 3 if she was there. She wondered how she would explain why Marina and Pearl were with her, if she should talk about how worried she was at all, or if she should just let 3 be. Thoughts built up in her mind, bringing her to the point of hesitation as she opened the door. When she finally opened it, she saw the note and phone untouched. Pearl and Marina crossed their arms at the sight, while 8 sunk in place.

     "Where are you, 3...?"


	3. venting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3 finds a new way to kill time, while 8 does her best to find her.

     3 wiped her brow as she walked back into the Battle Lobby from the last round. She looked at the clock. It was just past midnight, but she still didn't feel like going home. She tightly gripped her weapon, now a simple Splat Charger, and went in for another round.

      _Splat!_

3 put away her Sting Ray and pulled out her charger as she moved forward. As she pushed, she couldn't get 8 out of her head. She worried about her. She knew the octoling would probably have been waiting for her. She knew that 8 would probably be worried about _her_. But she didn't want to go home.

      _Splat!_

She worried about what 8 was doing right now, wondering if she managed to fall asleep or not. She wondered if 8 was feeling better after her episode from last night. It stung her inside, leaving when 8 was probably still less than alright. But she still didn't want to go home.

_Splat!_

She worried if she went too far. She wondered if she could've worded it all just a bit better, if she could've been easier on 8. She wondered if she could've heard 8 out just a bit more. She wondered, just for a moment, if she could've accepted...

     "Shit!"

_Splat!_

     3 opened her eyes back seconds later at her team's base, still stinging from suddenly being splatted.  _God,_ _I must be really out of it,_ she thought to herself. She inhaled deeply, catching her breath and calming her nerves. 

     "Alright then."

     What came next was something no one else in the match was ready for. 3's team wasn't bad at all, and the enemy team was holding well up until that point, but neither could've seen it coming. Within seconds, 3 gained control of the middle of the stage. It was Blackbelly Skatepark, with 3 simply holding the middle tower, but all the possible side routes meant nothing to the enemy team, who couldn't push past her in the slightest. By the end of the match, they found it difficult to keep even their side uninked. She kept most of the enemy team occupied on her own, with whoever left having to deal with the rest of her team. The match ended with a dirty 80% lead on 3's part. 

     On the sidelines of the stage, an onlooker grinned, staring at 3 as she walked off to the Lobby.

     "Oh, I've found a good one."

     As 3 walked out into the Lobby, she was met with a familiar smile.

     "Hey, 3. Didn't know you turfed often," said Agent 4, who was walking up to the Lobby herself. The two had met sometime recently with Callie and Marie organizing it as a meeting for the Squidbeak Splatoon.

     "I stopped for a bit while I was doing agent work for the Cap. I'm getting back into it now, but I'm mostly doing it for funds for me and Agent 8. Oh, you haven't met her yet, have you?"

     "I met her just the other day, actually," 4 told her. "She stopped by Marina and Pearl's apartment while Callie, Marie, and I were there. She seems...  interesting."

     "She's just still getting used to living in Inkopolis and all. We've only been living here for a few days."

     "Speaking of which, how strapped for cash are you? You're really turfing past midnight?"

     "Oh," 3 looked down and scratched her head. "I wanted some time for myself."

     "Right..." 4 inferred what she could based on the conversation she had with 8 and how 3 was acting now, but decided to let their affairs be theirs. "Well, I saw your last game,  _King._ Damn good inking if you ask me."

     "Thanks, but I hear you're not too shabby when it comes to turfing, either."

     "Maybe we should turf together sometime," 4 said with a blank look, then grinned. "Or maybe _against_ , if you're up for it."

     "Oh well, I-"

     "Excuse me," interrupted a new voice.

     A fairly older-looking inkling approacher the two, with an interested look on their face. They extended their hand to 3, which she hesitantly shook.

     "That was a simply wonderful performance there. Your skill with a weapon is beyond notable."

     "Oh um... thanks." 3 wondered where this conversation was going. She hoped this wasn't another person who wanted turf with her for easy wins.

     "Tell me, have you heard of Grizzco Industries?"

     "Not... really?"

     "Are you looking for some new ways to get exclusive gear?"

     "I guess...?"

     "Are you interested in new ways of inking aside from the same old turf war matches?"

     3 sighed. Turfing wasn't distracting her as much as she would've liked. She still didn't want to go home, and something new might distract her better. Maybe, just maybe, she would look into this. "Yeah."

     "Then let me tell you, King..." they said, inspecting 3's tag. "About a little thing called Salmon Run."

 

     8 picked herself off the floor of her and 3's apartment, with Pearl and Marina helping her up. The two at her, eyeing the situation carefully. Marina was quick to try and give some direction. 

     "There's no other sign of 3 getting back? Nothing else in the apartment was touched?" Marina offered to give 8 some focus.

     "I can look around the rest of the apartment. Oh, make yourselves at home." 8 said, seating them on her couch, turning on the TV, and leaving them some water. She was uneasy. She looked around the kitchen and living room, where everything was seemingly still as she left it. No food was missing from the fridge. No new mess was there from when she last cleaned. She entered her room to see the bed slightly messy, but it was like that yesterday. She assumed 3 took another nap there, but now looking at it just stung slightly. She inspected the rest of the room. The table and dressers were still neat and untouched. The only thing she could sense amiss from the apartment was the absence of 3's presence.

     8 sighed as she looked at 3's door. It was the only room in the apartment she'd yet to look through. She slowly opened the door, seeing a mostly empty room, save for the wardrobes and dressers where 3 kept all her gear. She opened them up, to check if there was any recent sign of shuffling. Nothing was missing aside from what 3 had walked out wearing. She stopped for a second, taking a deep breath. She slowly walked toward the wardrobe where 3 kept all her weapons. She opened it up, carefully inspecting all the weapons to see if anything was gone aside from what 3 took with her. Before long, she started to shake. 

     She took note of every weapon from a slight distance, shaking more with every sight. Soon enough, her eyes fell upon 3's Hero Shot. Within seconds, all 8 could see was herself staring down its barrel all those days ago, dressed in Octarian gear and about to shoot back at the person in front of her: Agent 3.

     Marina and Pearl were startled with a thud from the other room. They got up and ran towards the source of the sound. 

     "8! Are you okay!?" Pearl called out. She and Marina walked into 3's room to see 8 on the floor, head down and hugging her knees in front of the open wardrobe of weapons. "What's wrong!?"

     "Pearl, can you close the wardrobe?" With a nod in response, Marina kneeled down next to 8, pulling her close. "I've seen something like this before with the other Octolings who came to Inkopolis. Some held such their past in such a negative regard that they began to hate violence, sometimes even in the case of Turf Wars. To some, even the sight of inking weapons is enough to trigger a negative response."

     "So she has..."

     Marina nodded. "It's PTSD."

     "Damn," Pearl said, closing the wardrobe doors. "That sucks, 8." 

     8 was silent in response.

     "So there wasn't any sign of her?" Marina said, wanting to help 8 grab onto something mentally.

     "Nothing I could see." 8 responded.

     "Let's move to the couch, and see if we can think of anything there, okay?" She helped 8 slowly up off the floor.

     As the three sat, a text tone came from 3's phone on the kitchen table. 8 sat up quickly, while Pearl rushed over to check out what it was. 

     "Oh..," she said as she read the notification. "It wasn't a text, it was an email. I think I know where she is."

     8 jumped in her seat. "What does it say?"

     Pearl coughed into her fist, preparing to read it aloud. "Thank you for signing up to work for Grizzco Industries."

     


	4. thinking back on bad ideas

> "Well done. That wraps up your training." The Grizzco employee held up their walkie-talkie once more. "We have the Beakon set up back on the boat, so go ahead and super jump back."
> 
> 3 took a second to catch her breath before jumping. She landed back on the boat, sweating, and legs shaking. She took a seat and looked toward the waves as the boat sailed back to Inkopolis.

     "So how do you like it?" the employee asked as they and 3 arrived back in the Grizzco building in the city. "Usually, Mr. Grizz himself leads these shifts, but due to how popular Salmon Run is getting, he's started hiring supervisors like me to oversee workers." 

     "It seems fun." 3 said calmly. She was certainly willing to do it some more. The new environment itself was interesting to her. That, plus the thrill she gets from this dangerous, high-intensity work, is enough to distract her fairly well. She knew she had to get home eventually, but with this, she felt she could calm down properly. "I can see myself doing more."

     "Excellent, I'll get the paperwork to get you officially ready to work." The supervisor handed 3 a pen and a small packet of registration papers and waivers. It was mostly simple information she needed to fill out on the forms, with the likes of her address, phone number, etc. 3 did feel a bit guilty, however, putting 8's phone number down as an emergency contact. She wrote it down nonetheless and handed the forms back to the supervisor, who took a few minutes to go into another room and put in all the information onto a computer before coming back. "Well, it's official. Welcome to Grizzco Industries."

     3 took a moment to study the supervisor's appearance a bit more. They were a taller, and presumably older, inkling, dressed in a simple suit with their tentacles tied back. 3 still wasn't sure on how to interact with them, but she tried to act professionally. "Happy to be doing business with you."

     "You're sure your friend didn't want to join us?" The supervisor said, referring to Agent 4.

      "No, she said she'd already been working on Salmon Runs a lot lately."

      "I see. Well, it works out, I suppose since we just did your training tonight anyway."

      "Oh, I'll run a few shifts for now."

     "Now?" The supervisor stared back, wide-eyed. "It's almost 2 in the morning. You could always go for one later."

     "Don't worry about it. I can do it now."

     "But, you see, there aren't really that many inklings ready to work around this time and we can't really have you go solo."

     "Oh, why not?"

     "Well, we like to say it's a safety precaution, but it's mostly just convention."

     "Then, let me do it."

     "Well, cases like these have happened before..." The supervisor mentally weighed the options. They shifted in place, snapping their fingers, with their expression changing from a hopeful smile to a deep frown and back again. "And with you, I have no doubt it'd go smoothly regardless. And I suppose it would increase profit if we ran more shifts. Very well. Get ready. I'll prepare another boat, then we're going out for a shift."

     "Alright then." 

 

     "You've been at this for hours," the supervisor radioed to 3 as she finished her fifth run. "While Inkopolis doesn't have any Inkling Resources departments, overworking on the job has _got_ to violate  _some_  worker's ethics guidelines."  

     "I'm good." 3 landed on the boat sloppily, almost falling over as she landed. "I can still go for a few more."

     "Hmm." The supervisor was hesitant, but 3's performance was tempting. They reluctantly agreed.

     3 landed in the Spawning Grounds with nothing but Grizzco supplied gear. She waited for her weapon to drop, eventually being given a roller.  _Okay, not the most comfortable weapon to use, but I'll deal._ She took no time at all to get into the groove. She had some trouble with Boss Salmonids at first, but by then she'd more than gotten used to them. By the start of the third round, she'd met double her Golden Egg quota. She stood close to the water as she waited for the last hold.

     "Watch out this last wave." The supervisor studied the waters. "It's looking like a Maws right off the bat." 

     3 watched the grounds, watching for the Maws. She spotted it quickly but was confused when it didn't immediately go for her. It circled around the back of the grounds, quickly out of her sight. She carefully attempted to pursue before she was interrupted.

     "WATCH IT! STEEL EEL ON YOUR 5!" 

     3 immediately turned around, seeing the giant shape of green ink and gray metal drag itself toward her from the water. She led it in more inland, then walked towards the left past its mouth, hoping to make quick work of it before the other Boss Salmonid moved in. She was barely making it past without getting caught, but quickly gritted her teeth as she saw the Maws steps in front of her. She was trapped in almost a complete circle between the Steel Eel and the Maws.

     "Shit!"

 

     "So, she's doing Salmon Runs then..." Marina took a second to try and make sense of the situation. She kept an arm around 8 as she tried to put the pieces of it together. 

     "What, she's been doing that for how long? Almost a day?" Pearl crossed her arms. "That's whats been keeping her from heading back? You don't think something..."

     "Salmon Run?" 8 asked the two.

     "Oh, it's this other job open in the city." Pearl turned to face 8. "It's a bit more dangerous than simply going out to Turf War."

     8 gulped in response. "Is she alright?"

     Marina sensed 8's uneasiness. "She'll be alright, Salmon Runs are always done in a group. At the very least, we know where to find her then. Every shift starts and ends at the Grizzco building. We can meet her there."

     "All right." 8 set off toward Grizzco with Marina and Pearl, trying hard to keep calm. She wasn't sure what she'd say to 3 when she saw her, but all she cared about was seeing her safe.

     As the three of them made their way to the Grizzco building, 8's phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out, seeing an unknown number send her a message. She opened it up, lightly gasping and almost dropping her phone while reading. 

    "8?" Marina looked at 8, whose face grew pale. "What's wrong?"

    Pearl took 8's phone to check what she saw. "Oh no. Marina?" 

    "What..." She took the phone from Pearl, reading the message out loud. "Hello. We regret to inform you that an unfortunate accident has occurred during a Salmon Run shift regarding Grizzco Applicant, Morgan, who has written you down as their emergency contact. Their condition is still unknown, but we will inform you of any news regarding their wellbeing. Apologies." 

    Marina gritted her teeth and pulled 8 and Pearl along toward the Grizzco building. "Come on, let's go!"

    8 looked solemnly ahead. "3..."


	5. oh i can drive a boat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope yall can forgive that i dont play salmon run enough to know about the actual events enough to write about them, so i took some liberties

     "You can't be serious! We don't have shifts open until tonight! How are we supposed to get anyone to help you?!" An older inkling was yelling on the phone inside the Grizzco building as Marina, Pearl, and 8 walked in. "LOOK I'LL FIND _SOMETHING_ JUST HOLD ON."

     "Um...?" Marina let out to grab their attention. Their eyes fell upon the three, pausing before talking on the phone once more.

     "OKAY, I may have something now. I'll figure something out regardless. Just... don't die." The inkling turned to face the idols and 8. "Welcome to Grizzco. Salmon Runs are currently off duty for now but something on your faces tells me you already knew that."

     "Yea," Pearl responded frankly. 

     Marina expanded on that point. "We're here because we received a notification that a friend of ours was apparently in a bad accident during a Salmon Run."

     "Ah, even better. So you're all caught up on it?"

     "How did it happen?" 8 spoke up. 

     The employee bit their lip. "You see, Salmon Runs are currently off shift because of the tides. From how violent the waves are, we can gauge an idea of how aggressive Salmonids will be. It's part of our training as Grizzco supervisors. From the tides, we can tell what kind of Salmonids are incoming, approximately how many, when it's dangerous, etc. That's why Salmon Run isn't always on duty. We close it down during times when we observe that it'd be _too_ dangerous."

     The three nodded, waiting for the supervisor to continue.

     "So, what had happened was that the supervisor that had taken your friend off for a Salmon Run had apparently done so during the end of a safe period and the tides shifted right in the middle of the run. From what I can tell, they were overtaken, and are having trouble even holding out."

     "The entire team was taken out?" Pearl asked, surprised.

     The employee closed their eyes and sighed before responding. "This supervisor took your friend out on a Salmon Run alone. They're saying your friend asked to go."

     8 gasped slightly, too quietly for anyone else to take notice.

     "They said your friend knows her way with a weapon, so they thought it'd be safe, but multiple Boss Salmonids would be too much for anyone."

     "She's fighting multiple  _alone!_?" Pearl yelled as she jumped up. "And no one's done anything to help!?"

     "I just got here! I'm just hearing about this now! I can't do anything myself anyway, and it's not like most people would walk into Grizzco with an off-duty sign in the front!"

     Marina lightly held Pearl back, who was staring daggers into the supervisor. She turned to them with a calm look. "So you want us to go help them."

     "Listen, you're worried about your friend, and I need help fixing my coworker's mess. You helping seems like a win-win situation to me."

     Pearl glared at the employee a bit more before turning back to Marina, her expression easing. "Can we really save her by ourselves?"

     Marina pulled out her phone. "Well, there may be some other people we can ask..."

 

     Agent 4 ran into the Grizzco building in a somewhat bulky cloak just a few minutes after Marina's text sent. She looked around to find Marina, Pearl, 8 and another inkling she didn't know waiting inside. "What's this I hear about an emergency?"

     8 was the first to respond. "3's in trouble! She-" She almost choked on her words in her desperation.

     Marina lightly patted 8 on the back, taking control of the explanation of herself. "3 went off on a Salmon Run alone when she got overwhelmed by multiple Boss Salmonids at once."

     "Multiple!? That can happen?"

     The employee spoke up to explain to 4. "It's not supposed to. We close down Salmon Run when there's a risk of that happening.  _Some_ employee didn't get the memo."

     "I see. So, we're going to rescue them?"

     "That's the plan. Thanks for coming. We really need all the help we can get. Callie and Marie couldn't make it?" Marina asked 4.

     "Callie's in the middle of an interview but said she'd make it as soon as she could. Marie's on..."

     "I'm here!" The Squid Sister burst through the open door, her kimono noticeably disheveled. She took a small breath before continuing. "What's the problem?"

     "Long story short, 3's in trouble. We'll fill you in on the rest on the way," 4 said to Marie, who nodded in response. She turned to the Grizzco employee. "What's the plan, my dude?" 

     "If you're all ready, we can take a boat to the Spawning Grounds and get your friend and that supervisor out of there."

     Almost everyone in the room turned to 8. She took a breath before nodding.

     "Let's go."

 

     Everyone stood at the Grizzco dock while the supervisor handed out a few weapons and gear as they readied the boat to sail. "These are all Grizzco issued weapons. You'll find they work a bit better than your standard Turf War regulation shooters."

     Marina took a closer look at the Grizzco Brella she was given. "This looks just like a modded-"

     The supervisor cut her off. "Listen, we don't use these weapons for normal public consumption for a reason."

     "Noted."

     "That said, here's all the gear you'll want. It makes getting splatted a bit harder than normal, and makes it so a splat isn't the end of you."

     "We've like all gone on Salmon Runs, bud," Pearl said crudely. "We can explain everything to 8 ourselves."

     "I see."

     "This technically isn't a Salmon Run, right?" 4 asked the supervisor, who turned and nodded in response. "So we don't technically have to follow Salmon Run regulations, yea?"

     "No, I suppose you don't. Why?"

     4 took off her coat while Marie took off her Kimono, revealing them in their respective Hero Suits. They also pulled their Hero Shot and Hero Charger off their backs respectively. "We'll be using our own gear then."

     The supervisor lightly shrugged. "Very well."

     "Been awhile since we've seen some action, eh 4?" Marie gave a wide smirk as 4 looked blankly back at her.

     "Yeah." 

     Marie took a quick glance up and down at 4. "I forgot how cute you looked in that suit. I'm happy to see it again."

     4 simply nodded. "I've never seen you in your agent gear."

     "Oh, that's right. I haven't worn it in a long time. It's the same style as Agent 3's. How do I look~?"

     4 quickly turned away. "It looks good..."

     "Thanks, 4." Marie smirked once more before turning her head toward the waters with a solemn look. "I do wish we'd have been wearing these under better circumstances, though."

     4 turned to look slightly down. Beneath anyone else's notice, she lightly took Marie's hand in hers. "Yeah..."

 

     Pearl ran onto the dock from outside with a small bag. "Yo, 8! I got what you wanted! Your landlord is really nice, by the way." 

     With a small thanks, 8 took the bag from her. She stared at it for a quick moment, before closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. She quietly walked to another room. She came back within a minute wearing her old Octoling Armor.

     Marina shot her a quick worried glance, before coming up and subtlely whispering to her. "I'll hold your weapon for you for now, okay?"

     8 mouthed back. "Thank you."

     Seeing everyone in some set of gear or another, the supervisor started to announce. "Is everyone ready? Now, I'm legally not allowed to drive past a certain speed for safety regulations, even in emergencies, so we'll take about 20 minutes to get there."

     "That's way too long! You can't do anything even if their _lives_ are at stake!?" Pearl yelled at them.

     "No, I can't. That's that. Once you get that through your heads, it's better we leave now rather than waste more time on it."

     There was a bit of silence before Pearl spoke up once more. "What if you weren't the one driving?"

     "What do you mean?" The supervisor looked confused. "Only Grizzco supervisors can operate Salmon Run boats."

     "Grizzco boats are technically rentable, yea? Regardless of time, too, right?" Pearl asked, to which the supervisor responded yes. "So, if we were to rent a boat and use that, we'd be able to go a lot faster, right?"

     "Well, yes. But even if you were rent it, I still can't drive it faster. It's part of my contract."

     "Oh, I can drive a boat." Pearl was met with a few wide-eyed stares in response. "My family took me to boating lessons when I was younger. I'd use my own ship, but it's not really the fast kind."

     "Then... okay." The supervisor quickly regained their composure. "That should work. I'll let you get acquainted with the steering for a moment. Everyone else, all aboard!"

 

     As they sailed off at speeds which looked impossible for a boat that size, the supervisor left Marina and Pearl in the captain's bridge and went to 8, 4, and Marie, who were sitting out in the open. "With the speed we're sailing, we'll get there within 10 minutes. You'd best prepare, it's not going to look pretty there."

    The three nodded before the supervisor walked out to the other end of the boat. 4 and Marie began talking again while 8 looked out onto the waters. 

    "I'm on my way, 3."


	6. don't let me go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM BACK BBs  
> sorry this one took sOOOoOOoOOOoOOOOoOoO long  
> my computer's been fkn up so i havent been able to write, and then when i fixed it i got strung along onto a vacation so i wasnt able to write properly  
> w e l l im back and nothings keepin me from writing now  
> that said, here's this l o n g overdue chapter  
> sorry again and enjoy!  
> (by the way, anyone interested can follow my fic blog on tumblr @ welcometothewndrlnd.tumblr.com  
> ill try to post updates and news, and yall can talk, yell, and/or shitpost to me if ya want.  
> come on down :D)

 

> "If you're telling me you can dock this boat safely at this speed, I have to admit, part of me doesn't totally believe that."
> 
> "Oh shut it, we can just say the Salmonids ruined the boat."

     The supervisor narrowed their gaze, half at the drops of water splashing in their eyes and half at Pearl's words. "You know, I'm technically not allowed to lie on my employee reports."

     Pearl shot her head around, leaving the boat's steering almost completely unattended to glare at the supervisor. "And your work friend wasn't allowed to have Salmon Runs when 1) it's too dangerous, and 2) when there aren't enough people. Seems like Grizzco employees aren't really worried about work guideline violations, huh?"

     They gritted their teeth. "You've been putting a lot of blame on someone who's not even remotely responsible, you know. I take this job very seriously."

     "When you fix your problems without having to wait for other people to come and help out, I'll believe that."

     "I..." The supervisor sighed heavily. "Whatever. As soon as this is done, you won't have to deal with me anymore and vice versa."

     "Fine. By. Me."

     "Pearl," Marina cut in as she nodded ahead of the boat.

      Pearl looked ahead, seeing the Spawning Grounds appear in sight. She took a deep breath before gesturing for Marina to call out for everyone else on the boat to hear.

      "We're almost there, everyone, only a few minutes away now. Pearl's planning to go for a bit of a rough landing, so we're going to have to go for a super jump onto the island. The supervisor will take the lifeboat and head over to the Grizzco boat already there." Marina walked over towards the back edge of the boat, where 8 was sitting quietly. "Stick with Pearl and I, okay? We'll be the ones to push to where 3 is and we'll cover you so you don't have to pull out your Octoshot."

      "But if it comes to it..." 8 started to ask.

      Marina clenched her teeth. " _If_ it comes to it, then I have what you asked me for. It was a bit challenging to have it set it up before we arrived, but here."

      She gave a small backpack to 8, who slung it on.

      "Just promise me you won't use it unless you really have to."

      "Yeah, thank you." 8 looked ahead and clenched her fist as Marina walked back to Pearl. She didn't want to say anything. She didn't want to say how much she felt this was her fault. She didn't want to say how she the one that drove 3 to do this. She managed to keep herself together so far by focusing on the sheer goal of finding 3 and making sure she was safe, but past that, 8 had no idea what to do. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Pearl's shouting.

      "ANY MOMENT NOW. GET READY TO JUMP ON MY COUNT."

      8 shook her head, deciding it was too hasty to think past finding 3. She stood up with everyone else. 

      "ON 3 Y'ALL. 1. 2. AND 3!"

 

     "Alright. My coworker just radioed in that they're coming in with help. Just hold out a little bit longer."

     "Hold. Out." _SPLAT_. "Is that what you're telling me to do?" _SPLAT_. "Because if so." _SPLAT_. "I have to ask..." _SPLAT_. "What you think..." _SPLAT_. "I'VE BEEN DOING HERE, BUD." 3 swam as quick as she could erratically across the Spawning Grounds, quickly taking out any of the smaller salmonids she could manage to clear a path. She took another look back. The Steel Eel and the Maws were still only a few steps right behind her; they'd been chasing her for the last two hours. She turned a corner to find herself about to step on a distinct dark green circle. She cursed and quickly sidestepped before swimming once again. A Flyfish had surfaced an hour ago and had apparently decided this was too easy for 3. Between the three Boss Salmonids, 3 found herself barely managing to run away, let alone trying to take one out. 

     Soon enough, she was running completely on autopilot. As mentally and physically taxing as the situation was, 3 was able to almost mindlessly stay alive, albeit at the cost of slowly losing her consciousness and focus. In fact, the only the keeping her remotely conscious was the pain of being grazed with frying pans and the sting of salmonid ink. Eventually, she was swimming, splatting, and climbing without so much as a single audible grunt. But every turn was a close call. With every step, the Boss Salmonids inched closer and closer. She wouldn't be able to keep it up. With one last push of conscious effort, she took the slightest glance back. The orange bobber of the Maws, the glowing eyes of the Steel Eel, and the splashing green of the Flyfish's missiles all raced towards her. She took another swift turn around a corner to try and gain some distance between her and the Boss Salmonids, but just after passing the corner she was met with the swing of a frying pan right to the stomach. She fell over, blurry-eyed and keeling over in pain, but managed to swim and pull herself enough up to an elevated platform. She used her roller to fling whatever ink she could to keep the salmonids at bay, but they were quickly gaining on her. She felt her knees buckle under her and had to use the roller to prop herself up.

      _Is this it...? Sorry, 8... You're gonna have to find a new roommate._

     3 didn't really expect that she'd die today, but, in all fairness, she didn't really know _what_ she expected from today. She didn't expect to be running away from 8 and from her own thoughts. She didn't expect to spontaneously sign up for a sketchy splatting job and get stranded on an island in the process. She didn't expect to see a boat pretty much crash into the side of said island. But what she really wasn't ready for was locking eyes with 8 as the octoling fell from the sky toward the center of the island.

     3's initial shock was broken by loud yelling she could recognize as coming from a certain white and pink inkling.

     "YO 3, HOLD ON, WE COMIN'!"

     3 looked at everyone she saw falling down. Pearl and Marina fell hand-in-hand, their off hands already aiming at the salmonids. Marie was already sniping in the air, with 4 just behind her, making sure they were landing in a safe spot. 3 looked again at the octoling falling right in the center, their arm reaching out to her. She reached right back.

 

     It'd been a while since 8 had last superjumped, and it took her a moment to recover from the landing shock. Her knees were still buckling under the impact, with most sound covered up by ringing in her ears. She was out of it for a few moments before she came to her senses, to a shouting Pearl no less.

     "C'MON, 8! WE HAVE TO  _MOVE!"_

Pearl ran off ahead to clear a path while Marina helped 8 on her feet. They got to higher ground, as 4 radioed in. 

     "Marie's trying to take care of the Steel Eel. I'll work on the Fly Fish. Pearl, can you cover us?"

     "I'M ON IT." She put her radio away and turned to the two octolings behind her. "I'll go help them out. You two get to where 3 is."

     Pearl's dualies were already firing by the time she took her first step. Marina pulled 8 closer, she keeping any salmonids at bay with her brella, as the two made their way to the center of the island. The two stopped at a higher platform to catch their bearings. 

     "Do you remember where 3 was on the island?"

     "I think she was..."

      _THUD._

     The two octolings stood staring as they watched a squid-shaped blob of yellow fall from a higher ledge in front of them. 8 in particular was motionless as she watched the squid morph into a recognizable 3, who pulled herself off the ground with one hand clutching her side.

     "H-hey."

     "Oh my god, 3!" Marina gasped at the sight of a dirty, beat-up 3. "You're in even worse shape than when we got you two out of the metro. Don't worry, we're getting you out of here."

     "Yeah... thanks."

     8 didn't say anything, instead opting to just help 3 to her feet. While Marina radioed in to let the others know they found 3, 8 walked the inkling over to a wall to rest for a moment. She didn't meet 3's eyes. Instead, she turned around, took off her backpack, and started rummaging through inside it. 

     "Where to now...?" 3 asked.

      _SPLAT._

     3 stood shocked as she felt the force of a splatting salmonid behind her. She turned to her front, where she saw 8 holding her octoshot just to the side of 3's head. The octoling was shaking violently.

     "Oh my god, 8!" 3's eyes were open wide at the sight of 8 forcing herself so much. Only a few nights ago, she had to help 8 through a panic attack from just looking too closely a blaster. Now, she was forcing herself to fire it. "You don't have to do that! 8, let's just go!"

      The octoling didn't immediately reply. She put on headphones, a slight smile forming on her face. She also held familiar glasses in her hand. "You asked me to be sure of something, 3."

      "No."

      "You didn't want me to make the mistake of misleading someone again."

      "8, please no."

      "I was scared of bringing it up again, and didn't know what to say after that. But now I'm sure of it."

      "8, please!"

      "I'm sorry for upsetting you earlier, 3. We're going home now, okay?." The slightest tear fell down 8's face as she put on her Octoshades. 3 fell to her knees at the sight of it. 

      There was silence for a moment.

      "8..." 3 looked up, seeing 8 reach her hand out to help her up. It hurt her to see the distinct red gleam of 8's shades. 

      In a tone devoid of nearly all emotion, 8 told her.

      "I love you."


	7. not like this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> im alive i swear. school is stress. college apps are stress. that is all. i shall finish this. promptly. it is almost 5 am at my writing this. good day to all of you.

 

> "Oh, are you two ready to- Oh no..."
> 
> "..."

      Marina didn't say anything at the sight of 8. She froze and turned to 3, who wore a defeated look on her face. Marina stopped for a moment, before turning toward the shore and gesturing for the two to follow. It was 3 who finally broke the silence.

     "She... she'll turn back, right?" 3's voice shook as she spoke. Marina turned back took look at her, seeing her eyes wide and filled with pain.

     "Yeah..." Marina sighed. "She'll be okay. She told me about her... problem with fighting. On the way here, I fixed up her old headphones and shades with a remix of Octavio's music. It won't brainwash her or anything, but it did slightly shut down her thoughts. She asked me to so she'd be able to fight if she needed to, but I didn't think she'd actually have to use it. She must have been motivated beyond words, to have to pick up her blaster again."

     3 stopped, realizing what Marina was implying. "I..."

     "I don't know all the details about what happened between you two, but she's throwing away her life for you, even if only for a moment. If you doubted _those_ words of hers before, you might want to rethink your stance, 3."

     Silence fell on 3. Soon enough, the only sounds were their footsteps and the distinct splats of salmonids at the hands of the two octolings. 3 clutched her Roller on her shoulder, at that point too weak to even use it to fling ink. She cursed herself silently for being so useless. Radio chatter occasionally went off between the three fighting the boss salmonids, shouting for help but never to a strained enough tone to cause worry. Whenever they'd inquired on how 8 and Marina were doing, the latter responded simply, just stating they were on their way to the shoreline with 3.

     3 had forgotten just how skilled the two octolings in front of her were at combat. With how cheerful and particularly well-mannered they were, it often slipped her mind that they _were_ born and raised in a society that had trained them for war from the day they were able. She'd forgotten how 8 even mentioned that Marina, in particular, was nothing short of a prodigy. Looking at the two move with such precision, with such coordination despite never having prior combat experience together left 3 in awe. 

     As they approached the shore, Marina took a quick look around then took radioed the other group.

     "How's it going on your side, Pearlie?"

      

     As Pearl left Marina and 8 to go help with the Boss Salmonids, she followed the sounds of explosions of ink. She quickly splatted any smallfry on the way to them, but couldn't help but wonder if the rattling she was hearing was real or just her imagination. Soon enough she found her way to the two inklings doing their best against unbelievable numbers in the open center of the island. She worked her way towards Marie, who'd be having more trouble with the crowds with just her Charger.

     "Any of you two got specials ready?" Pearl asked as she stepped to the side of Marie. It was a hot second before 4 could respond.

     "I've got a Bomb Rush coming up that'll take care of this, but it'll leave me a bit open. I'll just keep this thing busy. You two deal with that then help me out when you're good."

     "Alright," Marie quickly responded, taking a few shots at salmonids getting too close to where she and Pearl were, before turning slightly to the shorter inkling. "I think you're a bit faster at swimming than I am. I'll shoot a few long trails for you to swim through. Think you can get that thing to turn around?"

     Pearl eyed the Steel Eel, move in large erratic zig-zags toward them. "I think I got this. Think you can line up a good enough shot?"

     "I'm pretty good when it comes to shots that matter," she replied with a smirk.  She let out a fully charged shot in the direction of the Steel Eel. "Let's do it."

     4 gritted her teeth as she barely dodged the swinging of frying pans and the explosions of missiles from the Flyfish. She couldn't even line up a good Splat Bomb throw like this. But even so, she couldn't help but keep an eye on Marie from a distance. Doing her best just to keep the Salmonids at bay, she watched as Pearl led the Steel Eel away from Marie, keeping just far enough in front of it to be safe and keep its attention. Marie took care of any smaller salmonids in Pearl's way, before finally lining up a good enough shot to take the Boss Salmonid down for the count. The two took a second to catch their breath, then made their way to 4. As Pearl swam over, she felt her radio buzz.

     "How's it going on your side, Pearlie?"

 

     "WE'RE DOING ALRIGHT. MARIE TOOK CARE OF THE STEEL EEL SO WE'RE JUST DEALING WITH THE FLY FISH NOW."

     "Okay. Watch your back okay? We're almost to the shoreline. We'll get on the other boat and wait for you there."

     3 overheard what was being said before calling out loudly to Marina. "Wait, there's one more Boss Salmonid!"

     "What!?"

     "I was also being chased by a Maws before you guys got here. I haven't seen it since."

     Pearl could apparently hear what 3 was saying and replied over the radio. "So that's what that rattling sound was! It was near me when I was going over to Marie and 4, but I haven't seen any sign of it since then."

     Marina bit her lip as she took a second to think. "Let's just get 3 and 8 on the boat for now. If you need more help with the Boss Salmonids, I'll come back ashore."

     Pearl was quick to reply. "Sounds good! Just be careful."

     Marina switched her radio over to reach the other boat. "Pull in towards the south end of the grounds. It's safe over here and we've got two ready for pick up."

     "Roger that," a voice responded. Marina stood at the water's edge and eyed the boat as it turned towards their position from farther out in the waters. She breathed a sigh of relief before she picked up the slightest sound of rattling rapidly getting louder. She quickly turned around and scanned the area, quickly noticing a green circle under 3. She raised her Brella to shoot but was too far to do anything at the moment.

     3 was leaning on her Roller when she noticed the circle under her. She jerked her body to jump out but felt a pain in her chest and fell limp. She caught herself from falling but was still in the circle when she saw teeth jutting out of the ground. She stood still and watched the ground as she felt a strong push that tossed her several feet away.

    With another glance, she saw 8 where she was standing. She could do nothing but watch as the Maws rose up below her. 8 had managed to move several feet off center and escape the Maws' bite but was still knocked into the air from the impact of it surfacing. Within seconds, the Maws turned and began swimming towards 3, not even bothering to fully submerge into its ink. Marina tried her best to splat it, but her Brella wasn't enough to put it down that quickly. 3 reached for her Roller simply but found she dropped it when 8 pushed her away. She just sat on the ground, wide-eyed at the jaws quickly coming toward her. With one look, rows of teeth inched towards her. 3 blinked. With another look...

      _SPLAT!_

     3 looked a few steps ahead of her, seeing 8 just next to where the Maws  _was._ She held 3's roller in one hand, and stood as if she swung it down on the Maws. 3 breathed a deep sigh, but that quickly turned into a gasp as she took a closer look at 8. She was shaking. Her octoshades were on the ground several feet behind her, evidently knocked off from the impact with the Maws. She looked at 3 with pained eyes, before closing them and speaking softly.

     "Thank God... you're safe."

     Before 3 could get another word in, 8 started to collapse. 3 dove after her.


	8. some talking to do.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i am finishing this. IM DOIN IT. MARK MY WORDS YALL. also, i started writing splatoon fic when the fandom was still growing and i gotta say, i made my agent 4 a lot more serious than mostly everyone else did. whoops. ill stick by it though. anyway, we'RE ALMOST THERE YALL

>  "I take it you've come to your decision?"
> 
> "Yo 3, I heard what happened between you two. You'll talk it out, right?"
> 
> "I trust you won't run away from this, 3?"
> 
> "You and I both know how she feels about you. The question is, how will you respond?"

     "Okay then, we'll leave you two be. Be sure to rest up and let us know if you need anything."

     3 watched as her fellow agents, Pearl, and Marina walked out of their apartment, all of whom had essentially reminded her of something she was already dreading. Holding a lingering stare at the closed door, she got up and went around the apartment. She closed the blinds as the sun was setting outside as day turned to night. She went and peeked into 8's bedroom, where the octoling was still unconscious ever since what happened at the Spawning Grounds. According to Marina, she was fine health-wise and should wake up soon enough, but 3 couldn't help it as worry washed over her face.

      _It's been hours, 8. Please wake up soon._

She shut the door slowly. She looked at the clock. 7:15 PM. She decided to stop herself from wallowing and resolved to instead focus on the next most important thing: when 8 finally wakes up. She decided to prepare some food, which just ended up being her following the instructions on some packaged instant noodles from the grocery store. As she let it boil over the stove, she reached for a bowl and utensils but ended up dropping a fork. She reached down to pick it up but felt a sharp pang in her chest. She put her hand over the middle of her chest, feeling her bandages under her shirt. As effective Marina's treatment and as flexible as the inkling anatomy were, a few broken ribs and a large flesh wound were sure to be inconvenient for the recovering agent. She paused for a moment, then winced as she bent down to pick up the fork a moment later. She then went back to preparing whatever food she could for 8.

     She carried the hot bowl of noodles to 8's room, opening the door to see the octoling still asleep. She sighed and set the bowl down on the nightstand, before kneeling against the bed beside 8. She stared at the octoling's face, taking 8's hand in hers. She thought about what she'd finally say when the octoling finally woke up, wondering if she even deserved to say anything other than "I'm sorry." She caught herself wallowing again, and looked for something else to do to pass the time.

     3 kneeled beside 8 again a few hours later, at just after midnight. She'd spent the last couple of hours cleaning, organizing her room, browsing online for anything new the apartment could use, listening to music, eating dinner, brushing her teeth just about anything she could do to keep herself from looking into 8's room and being disappointed to find her still asleep. She kept going in anyway. This time, she was out of options. She'd done everything she could and now there was nothing left to do but wait. 

     She stayed by 8's side for another half hour before getting up to get some water. She gripped 8's hand before rising and walking out the door. As she was just about in front of the doorway, she heard the slightest bit of shuffling behind her.

     "...3?"

     The inkling froze. Eyes widened, she felt her breathing grow heavier. She paused before 8 called out again.

     "3? Are you okay?"

     "I'm good," she responded. Her throat felt even drier than it was as she struggled to just get those to words out. She slowly turned around and walked towards 8, looking away and not making eye contact. She was just next to 8 when she finally looked at her and saw the one thing she couldn't bear to see. She was prepared for anger, for irritation, for disappointment. But looking at 8, she only saw one thing in the octoling's eyes. Concern. And it killed her inside.

     "I'm... glad to see you're okay. Does that mean the rescue was a success? Is everyone else okay?"

     "Yea, everyone's fine," 3 looked away again as she started to explain. "After getting things mostly secure on the island, we all got on one of the boats and went back to Inkopolis. The Grizzco employees will sort everything out on their end. Marina gave you and I check-ups before she, Pearl, Marie, and 4 left. No one else was injured, and everything should be fine now."

     "How long have I been out? And wait, you said 'no one else.' Does that mean...?"

     "You've been out for about half a day. And you're fine according to Marina."

     "Then does that mean that..." 8 studied 3 a bit closer. seeing some bandages around her wrists, jutting from under her sleeves, and one of her ankles, as well as minor bruising and a few small cuts all over her skin. "Oh 3, are you okay!?"

     "I'm fine." 3 slightly waved her arms in response. "I'll just need a few days to heal completely, then I'll be all good. I just can't do anything really physical for a while, so no turfing dor a bit."

     Looking away, 3 didn't notice 8 getting up in front of her until she already found herself in the octoling's arms. She froze in the embrace but felt the urge to return the gesture.

     "Thank God you're okay." 3 noticed a little bit of shakiness in 8's voice. The octoling lingered in the hug before pulling herself away and looking 3 in the eye with a pained look.

     "I'm just glad you are."

     "I'm so sorry for everything, 3. It's my fault you went off like that and put yourself in that situation and risked your own life. I put you and everyone else in danger and it's all because... Because I..." 8 struggled to find words but stopped as 3 took both her hands in her own.

     "If you're going to apologize, I definitely have to. I overreacted to what you told me and was harsh enough doing so. I made you worried and threw myself into that situation because I didn't know how to deal with anything like that. I was mentally irritated and tired and I just had a lot of my mind and I didn't mean to but I took it all out on you. I was hasty and put you at risk because of it. I even made you... I'm just so sorry, 8. I'm so... sorry..." 3 found herself looking at the floor, feeling the lightest sensation of her eyes beginning to tear up. She shut her eyes tightly and grasped 8's hands. She felt her hands being pulled, and looked up to find that 8 had gotten up and was now leaning just a few inches in front of her face. The octoling pulled her up into another embrace. 

     "It's okay, 3. I told you something that I wasn't even totally sure of and it pushed you over the edge. Although in hindsight..."

     "W-what?" 3 looked at her roommate, who wore a faint but confident smile on her face.

     "It's more like I told you something and didn't do a good enough of convincing you of it." She pulled closer into the hug as 3 gulped and stayed silent. "I may not know everything about love. I may not know what exactly you do when you love someone or why you love someone in the first place. But do know that I want to be there for you. I want to help you. I want to give you a hug when you need one. I want to stay here with you in the apartment, or wherever it is you want to go. I may have just found my life recently, but you're already such an important part of it, 3. I want to be someone you can always call on, before anyone else. I want you, 3. And as far as I've learned, I believe that means that I love you."

     3 said nothing in response. She closed her eyes and started hugging 8 back, feeling the octoling's arms wrap around her more. There were a few more seconds of silence.

     "I know you do," 3 said, not pulling away from the embrace. "I'm sorry for doubting you. I was just irritated because I... well... Because I was trying to keep myself from falling in love with you. I didn't want to. I was convinced it would've been hopeless. But I won't... I won't run away from it anymore. I want you here with me. I don't want to leave you. I want to be someone you want to be with, and I want you right back. I'm... not good with words. But I think that means... that I love you too..."

     3 felt a faint nodding motion from 8's face. The two stood in silence, staying in each other's embrace. It was 3 who finally broke the silence.

     "You said that you don't know what you do after you find out you love someone, right?"

     "That's right. But I plan to learn."

     "I'll,,, I'll tell you about it tomorrow."

     "Oh, thanks, 3."

     "For now," 3 pulled away from the embrace but with her hands still on 8's shoulders. "Is there anything you'd like? Food, water?"

     "I think I'll just go back to sleep. I'm a bit tired. I'll eat in the morning." 8 stared into 3's eyes for a moment. "Join me?"

     3 awkwardly nodded, shut off the lights, and climbed into the other side of the bed, and lied down as she pulled the blanket over her. She started to move toward the octoling to hold her but was stopped by the weight of 8's head on her chest. She felt 8's arm go over her as the octoling's body was pushed against her side.

     "Oh, umm..." 3 started. "You don't want me to hold you tonight?"

      Without opening her eyes, 8 responded. "I want to hold you right now."

      "Okay," 3 let out, feeling 8's arm wrap around her more. She couldn't help but try to fight back a slight smile from feeling 8 on and against her.

      With a single thought, she closed her eyes.

       _I..._   _think I_ _could get used to this..._


	9. and now we take steps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well y'all, after almost a year, this fic is finally coming to a close. thanks to everyone who stuck by hiatus after hiatus. i don't have any plans to continue writing anymore splatoon fics, but id be open to requests, although id say not to expect any more than a oneshot if i take it. if yall want me to write about something not splatoon, go ahead and ask. who knows, maybe im into it too.  
> with all that out of the way, lets put a close to this story. thank you all again, and enjoy!

 

 

> "Five more minutes, 3..."
> 
> "You didn't have dinner last night. We're getting up to eat now."
> 
> "Five more minuutessss.."

     3 promptly pulled off 8's arms from her waist, sat up, and got out of bed. The octoling was left holding nothing but air and slightly pouted as she watched 3 walk towards the door. She looked as 3 turned her head slightly to her, wearing a look that was half-smug and half-expectant.

     "Okay, I'm getting up," 8 said, rubbing her eyes. She stretched her arms out and yawned. "You're probably hungry too, right? Just sit on the couch, I'll freshen up then get something ready."

     "Are you sure? I can take care of it."

     "You're. Injured. Please sit down."

     3 looked at her... girlfriend, she supposed now, who wore a slightly pleading expression. "Alright."

     "Thank you, love."

     3's eyes widened at hearing that. "Mmhm.."

     "Sorry, was that too much?"

     "Nono," 3 waved her hands. "It was just a shock. I think... I like the sound of that..."

     8 grinned at 3's response. "Then, love. Let me take care of my girlfriend for a bit."

     "..."

     "Yes?"

     "So... then we're..."

     "Girlfriends, yes. Isn't that what we established last night?"

     "Okay then," 3 almost gulped, feeling her cheeks adopt a shade of red. "You're being... more forward then I thought you'd be."

     "I told you, my first mistake was making you doubt that I loved you. And I'm not making that mistake again, 3."

     3 rubbed the back of her neck and stared at 8, who was focused on putting something together on their kitchen counter.  "Right. Thank you, 8..."

     "Of course." She walked over to 3 with two bowls in hand. "Now eat up."

     3 eyed what 8 handed her. "Cereal? You should probably eat more than that."

     "I'll make us something bigger for lunch. I just wanted to get breakfast out of the way."

     The inkling raised her eyebrow in response. " _Out of the way?_ "

     8 avoided her eyes for a moment, before looking right at her. "I'll... tell you after we finish."

     "...Alright."

 

     3 sat absentmindedly at the couch and watched as the octoling finished up doing the dishes. She took a moment to just take in everything that happened. The events of the past few days, what happened between them last night, what  _was_ happening that very morning.

     "Wow. I'm your _girlfriend_. You like _me_. And I like _you_."

     8 turned at 3, whose face showed with certainty that she didn't mean to say that out loud. She threw a small grin at 3. "Well I certainly hope so." She dried her hands and walked towards 3, sitting down next to her.

     "So... you wanted to talk about something?"

     "Right, well..." She took 3's hand in hers. "So I'm definitely new to this whole 'love' thing."

     "Yea..."

     "And beyond treating you well I'm not sure what else to do about it."

     "Um, alright..."

     She placed 3's hand on her cheek, with her partner's thumb resting just on top of her lips. "Would... you mind showing me what to do?"

     3, who was now as bright red as Splatfest ink, looked to her with wide eyes. "Are you sure about this? You'd be rushing into things kind of quickly, 8. A kiss within a few hours is-"

     "We're living together, 3."

     "...Point taken. Alright. Just... stop me if it seems like too much, alright?"

     "Of course."

     3 slowly leaned in closer to 8, stopping in front of her face for just a moment and looking in the eyes, before giving her a small kiss. After a second, the two broke away.

     "Um..." 3 bit her lip. "How was that?"

     8 blinked. "I'm not... sure?"

     "What?"

     "That was... interesting. Let me see how it feels again."

     "...Okay."

     8 tried to figure out what she was feeling as she kissed 3 again. Even after a few kisses, a handful of pecks, and even one disgusting sounding smooch, she was only sure of one thing: _she liked touching 3_. Five minutes in, their arms were wrapped around each other, 3 holding the back of 8's head. By the ten minute mark, 3 was on top of 8 on their couch, holding 8's hand in one of hers and caressing her cheek with the other. They stopped about 40 minutes in, after which 8 was lying gently in 3's arms on the couch.

     "So..." 3 said with a sheepish tone. "I'm going to assume you liked that."

     "The only thing that'd make me like it more is if you did too."

     "Then I'd say you're in luck." She looked at 8's face, eyes closed and resting on her chest. "You wanna get something to eat now?"

     8 didn't open her eyes. "In a bit. I wanna stay like this for a bit longer... If that's okay."

     "Of course it is." She wrapped her arms around 8.

     "...I'm happy you're back, 3."

     "Me too. I'm happy to be with you again."

     "..."

     "I... love you."

     "I love you too, 3."

     3 looked up at the ceiling with a gentle smile on her face.

_"I know you do."_


End file.
